1. Global Connections Day Building Safety Service Provider
September 2017
Presented by Lori S. Parris, Deputy Director

2. DCRA Mission
The mission of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) is to protect the health, safety, economic interests and quality of life of residents, businesses and visitors in the District of Columbia by ensuring code compliance and regulating business.

3. Who We Are & What We Do Permit Issuance & Plan Review
Construction and Property
Maintenance Inspections
Zoning Regulation & Enforcement
Vacant Property & Abatement
Business & Professional Licensing
Administration

4. Permit Issuance & Plan Review

5. Plan Review Building Plan Review Ensures Code Compliance
Green Building Program
Energy Code, Green Code, and Green Building Act through permitting, inspections ,and certificate of occupancy review
Office of the Zoning Administrator
Plan review and Enforcement of Zoning Regulations
Office of the Surveyor
Building Plats, Surveys, and Land Records
Certificates of Occupancy, Home Occupancy Permits, and Subdivisions

6. Construction Inspections

7. CONSTRUCTION INSPECTIONS
Types of Inspections
Building
Electrical
Plumbing
Mechanical
Fire Protection
Stages of Inspections
Site Development
Footings/Foundation/Slab
Framing/Rough-in
Insulation
Final

8. DCRA’S THIRD PARTY PROGRAM
DCRA supplements the resources of its plan review and inspection staff through a Third Party Program, which authorizes qualified Third Party entities to perform inspections and plan reviews and to certify that such work complies with the District of Columbia Construction Codes. Third Party Agencies are hired by the project owners.

9. NUMBER OF THIRD PARTY AGENCIES
Currently we have 82 approved Third Party Program Agencies
What do they do?
Plan Review
Inspections
Special Inspections
Elevators

10. HOW DOES DCRA OVERSEE THIRD PARTY AGENCIES?
Oversight
Performs cursory review of all Third Party reviewed plans for code
compliance
Performs random inspections of all Third Party inspected properties
Review Third Party Plan Review documents for both
commercial and residential projects
Review Third Party Inspection reports
On-site audits of each agency
Compliance
Conduct Quality Assurance reviews
Issue disciplinary actions
Work with Third Party agencies on contractor and owner issues
Training
Provide ethics training and provide specific trainings on identified problem areas

11. THIRD PARTY PLAN REVIEW
What do Third Party Plan (TPP) Reviewers do?
The TPP Plan Reviewers perform plan review services for both commercial and residential construction projects
They review all documents for code compliance based on the District of Columbia Construction Code
What is DCRAs role in the TPP Process?
Verify plan documents follow the plan submission guidelines
Perform oversight reviews of the submitted plan documents to verify compliance with the District of Columbia Construction Code

12. THIRD PARTY INSPECTIONS
What do Third Party Inspectors do?
The Third Party Inspection Agencies perform inspections for both commercial and residential projects
They ensure that the construction is done in compliance with the permit issued and the District of Columbia’s Construction Code

13. THIRD PARTY STATISTICS
During FY17, we DID the following:
Visited Third Party Agencies job sites 862 times
Issued 50 Stop Work Orders for Work Exceeding Permit
Process 5780 Third Party Reports
Processed 722 Certificates of Occupancy Applications
What is the impact of this work?

14. DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS TAKEN
During FY 17 we have issued 220 disciplinary actions against Third Party Agencies
The most common disciplinary actions taken were for the following violations:
Failure to properly document and cite construction code violations that pertain to fire and life safety
Exceeding the of scope of permits
Non-compliance with Conditional Certificate of Occupancy's

15. COMMON DEFICIENCIES
Over the last Fiscal year we have found the following:
Common Deficiency 1
Fire alarms/sprinkler systems installed improperly
Common Deficiency 2
Work inspected and approved by the Third Party Agency that exceeded the scope of the approved plans (applicants built more than they were allowed to build)
Common Deficiency 3
Failure to follow the established guidelines for obtaining a conditional Certificate of Occupancy (CCO) and then failing to monitor their client’s compliance with those conditions

16. THINGS TO CONSIDER
Since 2016, we simplified and streamlined Third Party Program to increase life-safety for all visitors and residents in the District of Columbia. How did we do it?
Major Changes
Qualifications
Green and Energy plan review and inspections
Enhance Oversight and Compliance
Stronger Conflict of Interest Provisions
Stronger Quality Assurance Program
Increased Discipline and accountability
Mandatory Training
Have the Major Changes Worked?
Yes? Why?

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